Muscle is far more “metabolically active” than fat, meaning that lean, more muscular people have an easier time burning calories at rest than to people with higher proportions of body fat. “Let’s say I’ve worked out at the gym and I have a new pound on board, or, for that matter, I take an old muscle mass on me that’s untrained and now I train it and preserve that pound. That muscle mass may now burn between 35 to 50 calories extra a day, versus the same pound of fat, which would burn anywhere from 5-10 calories a day.

I recommend this book about the psychology of successful weight losers. Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success by Anne M. Fletcher. Instead of focusing on nutrition, she focuses on lifestyle and motivation (which is the hardest part). This is the best book I’ve found so far.

In the meta-analyses (compilation of studies) regarding exercise and weight loss, exercise typically has a “modest” effect on weight loss. Again, it’s not going to do much in the absence of dietary change. On studies that have a diet only, exercise only, and exercise plus diet groups, the exercise plus diet groups (with scant exception) come out on top when it comes to weight/fat loss. Diet only, almost always beats out exercise only…. One very well conducted 12 week study by Kramer et. al., which included both aerobic, strength training, and a dietary control, showed the following results. Fat mass losses – diet only: 6.7kg, diet/cardio: 7kg, diet/cardio/resistance: 10kg. Most noteworthy – the D+C+R group lost almost no lean tissue whatsoever, whereas the diet only group lost almost 3kg worth of lean tissue.

“Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently. “Our current data,” the study’s authors wrote, “indicate that exercise training in the fasted state is more effective than exercise in the carbohydrate-fed state to stimulate glucose tolerance despite a hypercaloric high-fat diet.”

Just how exercising before breakfast blunts the deleterious effects of overindulging is not completely understood, although this study points toward several intriguing explanations. For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. When you burn fat, you obviously don’t store it in your muscles. In “our study, only the fasted group demonstrated beneficial metabolic adaptations, which eventually may enhance oxidative fatty acid turnover,” said Peter Hespel, Ph.D., a professor in the Research Center for Exercise and Health at Catholic University Leuven in Belgium and senior author of the study.

At the same time, the fasting group showed increased levels of a muscle protein that “is responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle and thus plays a pivotal role in regulation of insulin sensitivity,” Dr Hespel said.

In other words, working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.

…the conventional wisdom of 3,500 calories less is what it takes to lose a pound of weight is wrong. The body changes as you lose. Interestingly, we also found that the fatter you get, the easier it is to gain weight. An extra 10 calories a day puts more weight onto an obese person than on a thinner one.

Also, there’s a time constant that’s an important factor in weight loss. That’s because if you reduce your caloric intake, after a while, your body reaches equilibrium. It actually takes about three years for a dieter to reach their new “steady state.” Our model predicts that if you eat 100 calories fewer a day, in three years you will, on average, lose 10 pounds — if you don’t cheat.

Another finding: Huge variations in your daily food intake will not cause variations in weight, as long as your average food intake over a year is about the same. This is because a person’s body will respond slowly to the food intake.

July 1, 2010 goal: Having a hard ceiling of 205 pounds. (A hard ceiling is a number I will never go over, even during the normal fluctuations of weight. To achieve this, my normal weight would need to be 202-3. Actual Weight: 215.5 (97.7 kilograms)

Oct 29, 2012. 229 (For the record, these last 2 weeks I have been weighing myself with minor increases and decreases, but only got around to posting things now).

Oct 11, 2012 229. (For the record, if the number is the same, I will not normally add it here).

Oct 6, 2012 230. I will start measuring again regularly. Time to improve that BMI!

May 15 2012. I am guessing that I am 220-225. I have not been able to focus on weight and exercise, but now is probably a time to resume this. I won’t weigh myself as conscientiously as before, but frankly this is a good time to begin again.

Wed June 29 2011 222. After a weekend of overeating, I have settled on a regular exercise schedule. (finally!)

Wed June 22 223. (6100 steps) Started exercising again. Horray!

Tue June 21 223. Went off diet over weekend. Watermelon, kind of sick.

Fri June 10 222. (8400 steps). Ate grapes, cafeteria lunch.

Thur June 9. 220. I calculated that with my new living arrangement, I walk 6400 steps (about 2.8 miles).

Wed June 8. 221. I’m actually glad it’s not worse. A lot of things have happened. First, I am working downtown, with a more regular workschedule. That means taking the bus (and doing a lot more walking!) confronting the temptation of a bottomless candy jar 10 feet away from me, lots of running-around-meals and no time to do formal exercise. My place isn’t even set up for that yet. I can work down from that, and frankly I’m looking forward to it. I’ve hated being at this weight.

Tue Feb 1 218.5. Still unemployed…still losing weight!

Wed Jan 19 219.5 The new unemployment diet seems to be working! Life without chocolate seems strange.

Fri Dec 23 223

Thur Dec 23 222.5

Wed Dec 22 223.5

Mon Dec 20 225 I’ve stopped eating chocolate. I might resume that once my weight hits a certain target (200? 210? Let’s see how long I can hold out).

Thur Dec 16. This has been a period of great stress for me, and weight loss is not something I can concentrate on. I’m focused now on damage control with the hope that I can have a fresh start in 2011. I won’t be weighing myself for the rest of the year — although I will start doing it regularly in January.

Tue Nov 30 227. It could have been worse! (2 thanksgiving dinners this year). Have two gigantic meals on Friday and Saturday, so preparing.

Fri Nov 19 226.

Thur Nov 18 228. This is very confusing. Aside from peanut butter, my diet hasn’t changed that radically. My exercise has declined to be sure, but not by that much. By the way, the infrequency of measurement does not imply lack of attention to weight. It usually means that my eating or sleeping schedule is erratic and I am not able to give a good/accurate reading.

Sat Oct 30 227. This has been a weird 3 weeks, but this is inexcusable.

Fri Sept 24 222.5 I expect the first 10 pounds or so will be easier to get off. I have learned how to lose weight and what missteps to avoid.

Thur Sept 23 223.

Wed Sept 22 223.5

Tue Sept 21 224

Mon Sept 20 224 I need to explain a lot of things. I’ve been busy working on a book project that has consumed my time and disrupted my routine. I could not weigh myself in the mornings mainly because I could never come up with a standard time to do it that would be comparable. (If dinner is delayed and becomes a late night snack, it’s hard to keep track of calories). After some reflection, I think the causes of my weight gain could be attributable to 1)the schedule-disrupting effect of this work project, 2)the schedule disrupting effect of my dog and 3)eating too much peanut butter. My diet hasn’t really deteriorated too much; I still eat food of fairly high quality — i just eat more of it…and without really being accountable for the amount. I spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen, and I graze an awful lot. The good thing about a routine is that you have a sense about how much and how often you should eat. My dog AJ has gotten me out of doors a lot more, but I end up doing a lot less exercise. The time for AJ collides with the time for exercise in the morning, and I say that as someone who has the luxury of working from home. Perhaps the underlying problem is having an unstructured schedule. I think it will help to get back into weighing myself every morning. Finally, the thing about peanut butter is that it’s hard to do portion control for it. (I have a similar problem with chocolate). I tried to fit peanut butter into my diet in moderate doses, but it’s pretty clear that it won’t work except on rare occasions.

Sun July 11 216. Yesterday found a lot of cheap fruit. Yippee! Talked to a nutritionist about high glycemic loads. Sigh, one more variable to worry about!

Fri July 9 216. Wed I ate a lot of cheese! Am getting back to working out though.

Mon July 6 217.5 Holy moly!

Thur July 1 216. This has been pretty typical.

Fri June 11 215. Weighed in a little late in the day.

Thur June 10 217.5 I am sorry to report this, but I think that working from home is taking its toll. Not enough activity, too much easy access to food. I bought peanut butter yesterday, and am beginning to conclude that peanut butter + bagel may never be a part of my diet. Shucks!

Wed June 9 216. Grapes overdose.

Mon June 7 215.5 .Ok, cutting down on the peanut butter!

Sun June 6 217.5 surprising, but I’m sure we will be going down for the rest of the week.

Sat June 5 217.5 I’m not sure what’s going on. Yes, I ate a bit more than usual (mainly fruits & fresh peanut butter) and even exercised. I expect this to go down quickly but the fact it reached this high is really really scary.

Fri Jun 4 215.5

Thur June 3 214.5 I knew this would go up a bit, but yesterday was a very good day. I expect trends to go down for the next week.

Wed June 2 213. I didn’t deserve this, having slacked off on exercise and diet. However, I am back on track now. Hurrah!

Sat May 29 215.5

Fri May 28 215.5 Did housesitting at mom’s house for a week. Lots of junk food, no exercise. I’ll be working extra hard to get these off.

Fri May 21 212. Interestingly i practically starved myself yesterday (no reason). Before I ate dinner at midnight, I weighed myself (212.5). So after eating a small meal and sleeping 7 hours I am now 212. That’s how much sleeping time burns calories.

Thur May 20 213

Sun May 16 212.5 I’ll be going up over the next few days, but at last I feel like I’m regaining control over my life.

Sat May 15 213.5

Fr May 14 214

Thur May 13 213. Last week my father died, and so my diet was crazy. I did not work out for almost 2 whole weeks. This week I am getting back to normal. For the rest of the year, my diet will be on a tight leash. If I lose a pound a week, I could get back to 200 in no time. Watch me try.

Fri April 30 213.5 I knew a might be a little high (maybe it’s because of my recent splurge in Mexican food and my recent Austin weekend/wiener dog splurge). I’ve identified 2 areas: exceeding the chocolate dosage and pouring too much honey on my oatmeal. Also, on shopping days, I tend to get stuffed on peanut butter. But generally, I haven’t been eating a lot or big meals. I expect this to go down to 210 in a week, but still this only underscores the collision between perception and reality.

Sun April 19 209.5 parents yesterday, shopping. peanut butter, yeah!

Sat April 17 209 Over the last few weeks I’m sure my weight has fluctuated, but I’m getting it under control.

Fri March 26 210. This is encouraging news. I haven’t totally improved my diet and lifestyle, but I’m starting to exercise more regularly.

Fri Mar 12 211.5 This is hopeful, but I know yesterday I had several big meals. It will bounce back, but I think SXSW will knock a pound or two off me.

Wed Mar 10 213 I hope to get under 210 by the end of next week. (I’ll be at sxsw conference)

March 1 213.5 I am still not getting onto a normal schedule, but at least I am aware of the enormity of the problem.

Thur Feb 25 214.5 I am shocked, but this is a teachable moment. First, in my opinion my diet has not changed all that radically (although occasionally I will eat too much chocolate on one day and eat too much when visiting family). Second, having a dog has disrupted my schedule. It has made it impossible to do the daily exercises although I thought it was being offset by all the dog walks I am taking. Third, my work schedule has been intense lately, and I have disregarded certain things and become a night owl. Fifth, I have actually gone from a 3 meal day to a 2 meal day, so that is why I am surprised at the sudden jump. I can’t really say which is driving my weight up; suffice to say, I will be weighing in a lot more regularly from now on.

Thur Feb 4 211.5

Wed Jan 20 to Wed Feb 3 I’ve been busy on work deadlines and trying to adjust to living with my new dog. Truthfully, I’ve been ODing on chocolate and my sleep schedule has been upside down; I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

Tue Jan 19 210

Mon Jan 18 210.5

Sat Jun 16 211

Tue Jan 12 211.5. I’m back on schedule. Also, I’ve thoroughly cleaned my living room which gives more room for exercises. I need to mention that the reason I skip days is not that I’ve “played hookey” (although sometimes it’s true). The main reason is that there is something unusual about my eating or waking schedule so that the reading wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

Sat Jan 9 213. This is extremely discouraging. I knew there would be a weight increase — just not that much! (I don’t feel enormous!) Last Wednesday was a big festive occasion, but I returned to diet immediately after that. On the bright side, I have done spring cleaning (well, winter cleaning) in my apartment in preparation for my dog. Suddenly the living room is roomier and easier to do daily workouts in. Also, the dog should get me out walking more. (It has been cold all week, and I’ve stayed indoors a lot).

Mon May 11 200.5. A miracle. Ate a delicious piece of cheesecake (actually half a piece for both days). It was divine, and I expected to see repercussions. Maybe it will show up tomorrow.

Saturday May 9 201.5 Getting to more sane levels. Yesterday was a very light meal day. It’s looking clear that I’m not going to get to 190 by July. However, I’m going to try to get it comfortably into the 190s.

Friday May 8 203. Watermelon the culprit?

Thur May 7 202.5 Wow, ODing on watermelon. I’ve always found watermelon to be a weight gainer.

Wed May 6 201. Perhaps Tue was a fluke, with all those grapes. Still my body feels flabby. Need to work out more!

Tue May 5 203. Wow, depressing. Yesterday my diet slipped (eye of beef at mom’s house), but the other days didn’t seem so bad. Also, I’ve been eating a LOT of grapes recently. Could that be fattening?

Thur April 30 201 KFC yesterday, but so good!

Thur April 23 to Wed April 29. between 200 and 201.

Wed April 22 200.5 Aftereffects of Sunday. I should be going down.

Tue April 21 200. Getting back into the swing of things. (Oh, also, I skipped a meal yesterday! Need to go shopping too).

Mon April 20 201

Sat April 18 to Sun April 19. 202 I haven’t had a regular schedule of anything recently.

Fri April 17 202

Thur April 16 201.

Wed April 8 to Wed April 15. fluctuated between 200 and 202

Tue April 7 202.5

Mon April 6 202.

Sun April 5 203 Absolutely shocking. True on Thursday night had a party at Tom’s house, Friday night 2 Vietnamese sandwiches and refreshments at the storytelling event, but egad, can’t I go off diet for a single day! On saturday I ate practically NOTHING!

Thur Jan 8 Unknown. Attended a dinner party for my college. Great food, a feast. I ate two plates of vegetables before the main course (and no carbs). Kind of curious what effect if any this would have.

Wed Jan 7 200.5 Strangely at 5:00 AM, I weighed 200 and at 7:00 I weighed 200.5 (even though I hadn’t eaten anything and just finished exercising).

Mon Dec 29 202.5 I could have lost more weight if I exercised this weekend. But I’m back on track for the next few days as I try to starve myself for Jan 1!

Sun Dec 28 203 Instead of exercising, spent the day reading articles about diet by science writer Gary Taubes. Wow, that was strenuous!

Sat Dec 27 204.5 I have found a culprit for weight gain: going to parents’ house!

Friday Dec 26 206. This week has been crazy.

Mon-Tue Dec 22-23. Unfortunately a malfunctioning refrigerator and a day of phone calls have thrown my diet out of whack. ON Monday I was 202.5, but I feel sure that on Wednesday it will be at least 203.

Sun Dec 21 204. This is profoundly disturbing. Eating junk. The last two days I’ve been cleaning up house, doing errands.

Fri Dec 19 201. This went down, but last night I od’ed on chocolate! Expect it to rise.

Thur Dec 18 202 This will go down

Wed Dec 17 201.5 Steak last night, but did exercises. I can handle it (I think).

Tue Dec 16 202 Took the bus to work, which meant more walking.

Mon Dec 15 202.5 Still trying to reach 200 by New Years.

Sun Dec 14 203.5

Sat Dec 13 203.5

Tue Dec 9-12 204. I overate on 2 consecutive days.

Mon Dec 8 202.5 Mondays tend to be good for my weight measurement.

Sun Dec 7 203. Fallout from Xmas party.

Sat Dec 6 202.5 Say what?

Fri Dec 5 201. I’ve been cutting back.

Thur Dec 4 I’ve been cutting back.

Wed Dec 3 202. Ok, Tuesday night I od’ed on potato chips and worked late. This is a fluke, and I’ll be paying the price in the next few days.

Tue Dec 2 203 Finally on the exercise routine

Mon Dec 1 203.5. Finally, and I’ve been starving myself.

Sun Nov 30 205. Still recovering from the Birthday/Thanksgiving Fiasco.

Sat Nov 29 205.5 Well, I’m not surprised at least.

Fri Nov 28 204. I knew bad news was a coming.

Thur Nov 27 201. Well I was ready to take on the worst.

(Note, when I first did this list, I started from earliest to latest. I decided to put latest on the top for convenience. Here is the remainder of my journey/struggle/goal).

June 13: 220

June 14: 221

June 15: 219.5

Mon June 16: 219.5

Tue June 17: 219

Wed June 18 219

Thur June 19 219.5 (damn that thunderstorm that prevented me from swimming!)

Fri June 20. 219 (luck)

Sat June 21 218.5 (I totally did not deserve this. Last night I was a slug).

Sun June 22 218. (almost forgot to eat dinner; also played midnight tennis!)

Mon June 22 219 (sorry, I fudged; forgot to weigh myself; this is a guess)